Cunningham Named to National 4-H Hall of Fame

A central Ohioan and long-time 4-H volunteer will be inducted into the 2015 National 4-H Hall of Fame.

Clarence Cunningham of Hilliard, Ohio, will be honored at an enshrinement ceremony planned for Oct. 9 at the National 4-H Center in Chevy Chase, Maryland.

Cunningham is an Ohio 4-H Foundation board member and alum of The Ohio State University’s College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES).

“I am honored that someone would think that I should even be nominated, then to be selected. I am excited,” he said.

Cunningham earned his bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in agricultural education from Ohio State, where he taught as a professor for CFAES and for Ohio State University Extension from 1957 to 1988. After his retirement as associate director of Extension, he became a professor emeritus and has served as a longtime volunteer for 4-H and the Ohio 4-H Foundation.

“I grew up in a very small rural school, and 4-H was a very significant part of getting me started, and getting me talking in front of groups. I have been pleased to help pay forward.”

Cunningham worked on the steering committee to raise $16.5 million to fund construction of Ohio State’s Nationwide and Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center. He established an endowment that creates scholarships and 4-H leadership awards.

“I spent a lot of time teaching noncredit and academic programs to the 4-H professionals. I think that has been a significant thing — that I had the opportunity to influence the lives of many of our 4-H leaders not only in Ohio but across the country,” he said. “The pleasure of continuing to see the growth of people I have taught has been very satisfying to me.”

Please celebrate the Cunningham’s induction with a gift to 4-H at ohio4-H.org/give-now.

Writer: Matt Marx, marx.17@osu.edu, 614-292-8840